WASHINGTON, DC - We're proud to announce that we were selected - along with our friends from Project HOME and Impact Services Corporation - as winners for Outstanding Members at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Conference!

It was with pride that we could accept this honor and represent those involved in our ongoing success! Thank you for helping us to end veteran homelessness in Philadelphia... We will continue this battle every day throughout the region.

The Veterans Multi-Service Center (VMC) is in partnership with Orens Brothers Real Estate and Mosaic Development Partners to create an innovative veteran community, entitled Edison 64 Veterans Community, which is more than affordable housing – it is a supportive and stable place to call home for those who have served, our veterans.

Located on the former site of Edison High School at 700 West Somerset Street in the Fairhill neighborhood of Philadelphia, the project pays tribute to those that committed their lives to serving our country. Edison High School experienced the loss of more students to casualties in the Vietnam War than any other school in America – 64 in total.

The Veteran Community is:

A Housing Community for Veterans with On-site ServicesThe project incorporates service enriched programs and physical design that best serves a veteran population in transition in a comprehensive manner. The project design allows for on-site services provided by VMC for the residents including space for social interaction and communication. It is through this design of co-locating affordable housing, services, and communal space, veterans will have the best opportunity to create successful, independent lives.

Supporter, of a Comprehensive Revitalization InitiativeCalled Edison Square, the first phase involved commercial development, with the new construction of a commercial shopping center that includes a full-service supermarket, convenience retail, community banking and restaurants. Edison 64 Veterans Community completes the multiple phase economic and community revitalization initiative, anchoring the commercial activity from Phase 1 and repurposing of a vacant school building into 66 affordable housing units.

Innovative Development PartnershipThe project sponsor is a unique partnership between a seasoned developer (Orens Brothers Real Estate, Inc.), a local nonprofit with a long history of serving veterans (Veterans Multi-Service Center), and a neighborhood, minority owned, developer uniquely experienced developing in challenging and emerging markets (Mosaic Development Partners). The use of this dynamic development partnership capitalizes on the strengths of each partner bringing tremendous value to the project.

Dear Supporter,

The Veterans Multi-Service Center is excited and proud to announce – we kept our commitments to Veterans in need, those who protected our country.

As of December 2015, we met the challenge and commitment with our partners to effectively END homelessness for VETS in Philadelphia. Today, we are proud that we have brought over 2,000 Veterans and families home.

In December 2016, we took our mission a step further and partnered with Orens Brothers and Mosaic Development to build a Veterans community at the historic Edison High School in Philadelphia, commemorated as the Nation’s High School to endure the most Killed in Action during the Vietnam War.

This year, Edison 64 Veteran Community is finalized with our strong partnership and we will begin construction in 2018! Join us in saying thank you to Home Depot, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the City of Philadelphia.

Now we are asking you to join our mission and commitment in 2018 through this wonderful project offering Veterans a place to call home with comprehensive services to ensure they succeed.

Make a contribution today to support VMC ‘s work in 2018 by visiting us online at www.VMCenter.org or mailing a check to 213 N. 4TH Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

You will receive an invitation to join the celebration of ground breaking this upcoming April, 2018 and your contribution of over $100 will grant recognition of a veteran on our website!

Commit to make a difference today and support our Nation’s heroes, our Veterans.

Thank you for your continued support in serving those who have served.

“Women make up the fastest growing population of vets; post-9/11, their numbers have become the highest in American history. One percent of the population are veterans; 10 percent of that one percent are women.

“A defined ‘separate’ space is incredibly important as some women veterans may not otherwise seek the help they need or feel comfortable opening up in a male-dominated setting,” says Lincoln Strehle, Deputy Executive Director of the Veterans Multi-Service Center. “VMC was determined to break down that barrier, and the Women Veterans Center was established for all women veterans to come and seek the services they truly deserve in a comfortable setting.”

Some of that is out of emotional need: 1 in 6 female vets report being sexually assaulted during their service, and many suffer from PTSD. For them, male-dominated vet centers can be more traumatizing than comforting. But the WVC—which accommodates veterans and their families from Korea to post-9-11—is also about empowerment.

Women veterans are underrecognized—and when they are they are often represented as downtrodden women whom society should feel bad for because they have been sexually assaulted. The truth is that the number of women serving in the military is growing and they are now working in jobs within the military where they weren’t previously allowed, such as on the front line in combat roles. WVC is creating a “space where women can thrive,” says Anna Stormer, Coordinator of the WVC.

Anonymous - Philadelphia, PA

"I am the wife of a Viet Nam Veteran. My husband started going to PVMSEC 10 years ago for help. No mere words could ever express how much his life and in turn our family life has changed for the better in those years. I am and always will be grateful for the wonderful care he has received at the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service Center & Education Center."